Craigslist baby-for-sale scandal: parents arrested

Canadian police say they may charge a Vancouver couple accused
of posting an online ad offering a seven-day-old baby for $C10,000
($10,440).

A woman browsing the classifieds website Craigslist on Friday
called police after she saw the ad.

"A new baby girl, seven days old, healthy and very cute," read
the ad.

"Can't afford and unexpected. Looking for a good home. Please
call ASAP."

Within hours of her call, officers tracked the number of a
stolen mobile phone listed in the ad to an apartment in downtown
Vancouver.

When officers arrived, they found four adults inside, including
the 26-year-old father and the 23-year-old mother breastfeeding the
baby. Police did not identify the couple.

"Of course, the first thing out of their mouth is, they said it
was just a hoax," Constable Tim Fanning said.

The baby's parents were arrested and released, and the baby was
removed from the home. Police did not reveal the parents'
names.

A spokeswoman for Craigslist would not answer questions about
the case, but said the site takes steps to ensure users are not
breaking the law.

"Misuse of Craigslist for illegal purposes is absolutely
unacceptable to us, and we will work together with law enforcement
until the perpetrators have been brought to justice," Susan Best, a
spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based site, said in an email.

Police in Germany arrested a couple over the weekend after a
seven-month-old boy was listed for auction on eBay.

The mother told police the ad, which listed the baby for sale
for a euro (about $US1.56), was a joke, but the baby is now in the
care of youth services as police investigate the possibility of
human trafficking.